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List songs by Song title | Performer | Year

You searched for ‘bizarre’, which matched 31 songs.
click - person recommending, year, performer, songtitle - to see more recommendations.
friends of mine  performed by adam green  2002
Recommended by olli [profile]

uplifting, string-laden, lyrically abstract modern indie-pop. i think adam green`s strenght as a songwriter lies in his ability to combine bizarre random lines of text and catchy, but sophisticated melodies to something that`s bigger than the sum of its parts. that`s why i prefer his latest work to what he did back in the moldy peaches, the more well-produced sound really helps to balance out things. the strings on this song, for instance, is what makes it a slice of near-perfect sunshine pop. i really need to get around to actually buying this album soon..

from friends of mine


Don’t Talk to Me About Love  performed by Altered Images  1983
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

By late 1983, when Altered Images' third and final album, Bite, was released, Altered Images were already dead in the water. The group had never made any particular headway in the US, where their blend of Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Monkees (not to mention Claire Grogan's bizarre, baby-talk hiccup of a singing voice) was just a little too weird for mainstream tastes, and in their native UK, their colorful look and bubblegummy 1982 singles "I Could Be Happy" and "See Those Eyes" had forever typecast them as a kiddie-pop band. Grogan was already branching off in her second career as an actress (she played the title role in Bill Forsyth's 1982 cult classic Gregory's Girl), and Bite seemed like a mere contractual obligation. For the most part, it sounds like it, too, but the brilliant single "Don't Talk To Me About Love," which led off side two, was a welcome surprise, and possibly the best song they ever did. Mike Chapman's production recalls his work with Blondie, while the disco-tinged electronic beat, chicken-scratch electric guitar part and rubbery, melodic bass part all sound closer to New Order's "Blue Monday" than Bananarama's "Cruel Summer." Grogan herself is in an entirely different mood than usual, with her newly-lowered singing voice (and slightly improved enunciation) displaying a rueful, almost petulant edge that suits the cranky lyrics. Only at the very end does she shoot into her usual helium-pitched unintelligibility, with an air of "See, I can still do this, I just choose not to anymore." Coupled with the most indelible chorus of the band's entire career, it all adds up to a minor masterpiece. Sadly, however, nobody wanted to know.
(AMG)

from Bite (Portrait 25413)
available on CD - Bite...Plus (Edsel)


Pata Pata  performed by Augusto Alguerro  1968
Recommended by n-jeff [profile]

This is the sound of summer in the sixties as I remember it from my childhood. Sunny, light, breezy. Its from one of Augusto Alguerro's 2 Polydor releases, and while not as funky or bizarre as some of the other tracks, in terms of shear fun pop its a total star. Starting with a nice little trombone riff, its quite fast with wordless vocals, flute and light brass. It has the very good production that you always seem to get with 60's polydor LP's. I wonder if the Ragovoy that wrote it is Jerry Ragovoy who I know better as a soul writer, penning Lorraine Ellisons mighty 'Stay with me baby' amongst others.

from Sounds Spectacular (Polydor)




  delicado: Horst Jankowski's version of this is excellent also! I would love to check out the Alguero, but it seems to be very hard to find his LPs. I have 'Laugh Laugh'; that's it...
  RCA76: This artist is totally worth looking for. He's arranged, composed and played pretty much Spain's most important music of the 50's and 60's. Spanish (and now international) vocalists like Rocio Durcal, Sara Montiel, Karina and Marisol recorded countless impressive hits of Alguer� and Antonio Guijarro (his long-time writing partner). They are the Rodgers and Hammerstein of Spanish cinema.
  mike33436: If anyone is interested, this CD set includes some nice tunes. Michele ps: Am looking for some Andre Brasseur,Ted Heath, Edmundo Ros and a few more.
never get ahead  performed by bobby conn  1997
Recommended by shaka_klaus [profile]

i was watching an mtv show where johan renck (aka stakka bo) was showing his fav videos. i don't remember anyone of them except the last one which was bobby conn's 'never get ahead'. bizarre lyrics and nice strings makes this little number a nice tune.





  masterkil: compare this song with i want you back from the jacksons five, Do you find similar tunes?
  shaka_klaus: yeah, i thought that one was pretty obvious. however i could have mentioned it. i think it's a nice theft! ;-)
  Sepp: bizarre lyrics. ??? ... so please help me. i couldnt get much from the lyrics. maybe because of the fucking cool violin. i searched the internet to find the lyrics but didnt get it. maybe you could help me with it. thanks s
Splash (sung by Peter Bloom)  performed by Ennio Morricone  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

This bizarre Morricone pop tune sounds as if it came from a parallel universe. With an instrumental mix of guitar, harpsichord, bass and drums, it achieves the same kind of spooky, melancholic atmosphere as 'Deep Down', another Morricone film song from the same year. But in contrast to Christy's passionate vocal in 'Deep Down', Peter Bloom's delivery is light-hearted and much more low-key. Both tracks feature classic Morricone wordless vocal effects and some truly ridiculous lyrics. I haven't seen Partner, but I'd be interested to see how this song fits in to the story:

"I want to be your dazzling white knight
I'll splash you sizzling cool with bright light

I'll kiss your cleanliness
...Your soft, silkiness
Oh what happiness:
It's biological...

SPLASH
DASH
FLASH"

Ridiculous words, but the arrangement makes the track genuinely powerful. Shame Ennio didn't bring this one out for the crowd at the Royal Albert Hall last year.

from Partner OST (Cam)
available on CD - Morricone a Go-Go




  bobbyspacetroup: I love this song! I haven't seen Partner either but have heard it's pretty awful.
  eftimihn: It's absolutely superb, that harpsicord sound is especially lovely and the lyrics are really weird throughout with Peter singing something with "my super-duper-baby/ we're goin' whoops-a-daisy" in the bridge part of the song...
  megaphonerecords: i can't beleive it!!!!!!!! i first heard this song while i was living in australia. it shot right into my being & resonated hard. since i've been back in the states i've been trying to find this song with no luck. it's been 5 years now & this is the first time i've seen a sign that this song really exists & wasn't just a magical dream i had. maybe i'll be fortunate enough to actually hear this song again before i die!
  dominb: I saw "Partner" at a revival at a cinema in Madrid and although Morricone does the whole s/track this song is the only pop number so it really stands out,the scene which accompanies it features the main character played by Pierre Clementi romping with his girlfriend in soap suds pouring out of a washing machine,he then jams her head in the washer's door and kills her!...Partner is a pretty pretentious film but it's odd enough to be enjoyable.When I saw it,this song was the high point for me,even though it only lasts a few mins....Where did you get this from?
  dominb: ah..."morricone a go go"...I'll look out for it,must be a million morricone compilations,finding new morricone music is a hobby of mine!
  delicado: To see the film clip with the music (dominb\'s description above is pretty accurate), visit http://youtu.be/ftueIAmdwBw
Chanson D'O  performed by Francoise Hardy  1971
Recommended by delicado [profile]

You might be familiar with Francoise's incredible 1971 album La Question, a track from which was recommended by another user almost four years ago (Oui, je dis adieu). I managed to get a friend to copy the album for me at the time, and I recall being very taken by 'Viens', the first song. I put this track on a compilation but somehow never really savoured the album as a whole.

Recently I found I could get the album on CD, so picked it up (along with another interesting Francoise album, 'If you listen').

The difference for me now I have the CD is vast, and I'm now able to appreciate the album in all its glory. The clincher for me is the blend of percussive Brazilian guitar, beautiful strings, and the Melody Nelson-style sparseness of the arrangements.

I chose this track to recommend because of the bizarre extra dimension brought by the fact that Francoise is just scatting - there are no words - and the intermittent moments of complete silence, which are surprising and really hold the attention. Parts of the chord sequence remind me of Henry Mancini (in particular, a track called 'Softly' from the Mr Lucky soundtrack), while the overall effect of the sexy echoey vocal naturally brings to mind Ennio Morricone's work with Edda Dell'Orso.

from La Question, available on CD ()




  ambassador: this album's a favorite of mine, too. I also really like her album "Soliel" of a couple years earlier. The interesting thing about this album is that the Brazilian female guitarist Tuca (just one name) backed her on this as she did on Nara Leao's gorgeous tribute to Bossa Nova (recorded in France), "Dez Anos Depois." If you listen to these albums side by side you can clearly here the similarities, not to say they sound identical. And doesn't Fracoise look stunning on the b&w album cover?
Ma Premiere Cigarette  performed by Gillian Hills  1960
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

Don't let Wind Of Change by The Scorpians put you off. The use of whistling in a song is usually A Very Good Thing, and here to prove it comes Gillian Hills.

Hills was the titular Beat Girl in the 1960 John Barry-scored film, and never has anyone managed to look so moody on screen for so long. Ma Premiere Cigarette, a fake-eyelash batting number if ever there was one, is from her short period as a ye-ye girl, when she produced some of the very best songs in a fine genre.

The storyline to this one is bizarre. Gillian likes this guy Jimmy, who smokes; she wants to impress him so she has her first cigarette, smoked with various degrees of success; her eyes start to water and she can't work out whether it's the emotion of the occasion or the smoke irritating her peepers... There are little puffs and exhalation sounds throughout the song. It all makes for a wonderful listening experience.

from Ma Premiere Cigarette EP (Barclay 70352)
available on CD - Twistin' The Rock Vol 9: Vue Integrale (Barclay)



Inward Movement  performed by Gojira  2002
Recommended by basserman112 [profile]

It encompases many of the different sounds that Gojira employ to blow your mind.

from The Link (no idea)


Speak Low  performed by Harpers Bizarre  1976
Recommended by konsu [profile]

When I first came to this site I was suprised to not see any Harper's Bizarre tunes! They were a pretty fab vocal group who seem to be getting their due.

This song is from an almost unknown "lost" album from 76'. (Their heyday was the mid to late 60's, and had great success with their hit "Feelin' Groovy" in 67') And is a suprisingly jammin' version of a song from 1943 called "Speak Low" (From the film "One Touch of Venus"). I've heard other versions of this song, but nothing like this!

It starts off sounding like an O'donell Levy track, with a slinky/breezy latin step, and smooth, jazzy, compressed chords gliding across the top..... And then the vocal kicks-in, with this apropos low vocal harmony, instantly recognizable as HB, but more subdued.... They take the song and totally make it their own! Really just a superb track! Very A&M like, but with a bit more whimsy.... This record is hard to come by and needs a re-issue..... HELLO?!

HB is a must for fans of later B-boy's stuff or other Sunny pop from LA in the 60's and 70's!!!

from As Time Goes By (Forest Bay Company DS-7545-LP)



Me, Japanese Boy  performed by Harpers Bizarre  1968
Recommended by dlonglegs4 [profile]

Beautifully recorded, totally emo rendition of this gorgeous tune penned by Bacharach and David...sweet!!!

from The Secret Life of Harpers Bizarre (Warner Bros. Seven Arts Records WS 1739)
available on CD - of the same name (unknown)


Naturally Stoned  performed by Helmut Zacharias  1968
Recommended by delicado [profile]

A nicely groovy easy listening instrumental from an album which is a very common item in British charity shops. It's nicely percussive from the start, with some nicely strummed guitar and Helmut's bizarre sounding low solo violin. It builds up to a full and funky orchestral sound - a real stomper...

from Light My Fire (Philips)



Have you got ticket to the Dome?  performed by Ip  1993
Recommended by Genza [profile]

Japanese recluse Ip rarely leaves the confines of his room-cum-studio - and it's usually to attend a naff 1980s-stylee disco. The shy, clumsy student takes on the persona of a mentalist when news of a party spreads.

To celebrate his love of all things crazee, Ip recorded a series of bizarre poptastic tracks in the early 1990s. The songs suffer from dreadful production values and annoying lyrics, much of which is spoken in broken Engrish. But hey, that only adds to the fun.

Ip's debut album 'Floor 15: Room 17' is his best. Two stand out tracks include: 'Knocking on door while Mr Room Mate is away now', and 'Why are all new friends arrive for special event not on?'.

But his best song is 'Have you got ticket to the Dome?', a slice of Human League-esque rom-pop, bolted on to a 130 bpm, glam rock rhythm.

I used to know his acquaintance, this bloke that used to wear a plastic suit and fake glasses. He would hang around with a can of cheap lager. But I haven't seen him in months. I think he lost his mobile phone, or something. He'd probably say: 'Oh yeah, Gonza, Genzo. I remember. The good old days. Hanging out in the Lounge.'

Whatever. But Ip. Far out.

from Floor 15: Room 17, available on CD



  delicado: I don't remember Ip's music. Wasn't there a related thing called 'DJ Bakesey'? I remember that being really good.
  Genza: Don't remember Ip? What on earth...? If I remember rightly, you used to hang around with him and those two mates of his that used to jump up and down on bed and squeal in a high-pitched way. Very, very odd. As for 'DJ Bakesey', he wag good - and some of his mates in the JCR Squad were pretty hot. Their sound - looking back - was pretty ground-breaking. 'MC Lem' was amazing and I loved his booming anthem 'Fish Pie': 'All I want for tea is Fish Pie All I want for tea is Fish Pie If I get it, I won't swear like a bad boy If I get it, I won't play Duncan no more...' Who was Duncan? And what did it all mean? Am I scared? Can I sleep here?
Sabia, Diga La  performed by Jaime & Nair  1974
Recommended by pleasepleaseme [profile]

Bizarre Cut. What's This "Country Funk"? Strange little record. Beautiful Production. Both have very nice voices. And love the 12 string Guitar. Flows Nicely.

from Jaime & Nair, available on CD


Bill Drummond Said  performed by Julian Cope  1984
Recommended by dsalmones [profile]

A key track from Julian Cope's fragmentary second solo album, 1984's Fried, "Bill Drummond Said" is the only song on the album that resembles the swirling psych-pop of his old band the Teardrop Explodes. This is no doubt intentional, as the lyrics take aim at the group's former manager, Bill Drummond (later half of the Timelords, the KLF, and the JAMS), albeit in a typically vague way. The lyrics are skeletal enough that several interpretations might be brought to them, but they seem to recount a dream in which Cope witnesses his former manager in the act of strangling an unidentified woman to death. In contrast to the vaguely unpleasant lyrics, this is by far the catchiest and sweetest tune on Fried, with a dreamy folk-rock sound to its ringing 12-string guitar riffs and breathy harmonies. Coming between more disjointed and edgy tracks like the bizarre fairy tale "Reynard the Fox" and the Syd Barrett-like ramble "Laughing Boy," "Bill Drummond Said" sounds downright bubblegummy. Unsurprisingly, the always combative Drummond got in the last word with his answer song, "Julian Cope Is Dead," a sarcastically folky acoustic tune from his odd 1986 solo album The Man in which Drummond claims that in the waning days of the Teardrop Explodes, he had suggested that Cope commit suicide to make the band famous and laments that the singer didn't take him up on it.
(AMG)

from Fried, available on CD


Bahia  performed by Michel Magne  1962
Recommended by bobbyspacetroup [profile]

A psychedelic Exotica classic. It really must be heard to be believed. For starters, Magne raises the genre's hallmark bird calls way, way over the top. Some of them sound like Donald Duck, some sound like theremins. Then there is the spaced-out arrangement which integrates the bird sounds and pushes the familiar melody in totally bizarre directions.

from Tropical Fantasy (Columbia CS-8493)



16 Toneladas (Sixteen Tons)  performed by Noriel Vilela  1971
Recommended by gregcaz [profile]

This, friends, is the swingingest and most bizarre version of this chestnut you will ever hear. Having recently left the Cantores De Ebano (Ebony Singers), sort of a 60s Brazilian version of Sounds Of Blackness, Noriel Vilela, possessor of an impossibly deep, rumbling basso profundo capable of blowing your speakers, embarked on a brief yet fondly-remembered solo career. This witty reworking of the Tennessee Ernie Ford original replaces the country-western-pop of the original with a rollicking samba-rock rhythm and Portuguese lyrics extolling how much fun samba is, sung by a voice from deep in the crypt that swings like crazy. It stops everybody who hears it dead in their tracks and is the guaranteed highlight of any party. What Messrs. Ford and Travis would have made of it is anybody's guess, but this version refuses to die, having recently become a hit in Brazil all over again, 30 years after its first release. I've heard many, many versions of "Sixteen Tons," but believe me, this one truly runs away with the prize!!

from 7 (Copacabana)
available on CD - Samba Rock (Compilation)




  konsu: I stand corrected. It's just a matter of getting in line for some of this stuff , ya'know? Soo much music, so little time...sigh...
  Festy: S�o Paulo group "Funk Como Le Gusta" have a wonderful version of this also from their 1999 album "Roda de Funk". It's in the same style that Noriel Vilela did, but tighter.
  sodapop650: If you get a chance - try and track down a copy of Juarez Sant'ana's first LP it has a super-cool version of "Ghost Riders in the Sky" to complete the bizarre brazilian western covers.
Richard Nixon  performed by Rod & The MSR Singers  197?
Recommended by jeanette [profile]

One of the more famous song-poems, this is sung by the man with a thousand names, Rodd Keith. Being English, I had never really heard of the song-poem concept until an article in (I think) Cool & Strange Music magazine. Then this compilation CD came out and, wow, pinch my cheeks and call me a convert.



Anything that encourages the bizarre side of human nature gets my approval and song-poems certainly do that. Especially the right wing freaks, who seem to be over-represented in the genre. This is one of those very over-zealous numbers, stating (pre-Watergate) that Nixon is "a man of priceless worth".



What I love about Rodd Keith is that, no matter how banal or weird the lyrics kicked out by some Arkansas dweller are, he gives a sterling performance. This is no different. The spirit in which the song is written is strictly adhered to by Keith, adding of course to its overall charm.

from The American Song-Poem Anthology: Do You Know The Difference..., available on CD



Requiem pour un con  performed by serge gainsbourg
Recommended by olli [profile]

unbelievably cool track, one of my top ten gainsbourg compositions. great jazzy sex beat, smooth vocals.
it's one of his more agressive songs, similar to the also recommended "un poison violent c'est l'amour".
there seems to be a bit of a bit of a prog vibe going on (in lack of better words, i'm not exactly an expert in the technicalities of music).
nice guitar hook. though the track is pretty repetitive, it's by no means boring. the repetition only helps to make it more intense and interesting.
taken from the film le pacha. i think a lot of gainsbourg's soundtrack work is pretty interesting stuff, though some of it often seems a bit rushed or too similar to other cool compositions from the same era (hey, i'm a sucker for plagiarism...)
the soundtrack to cannabis comes especially recommended.


available on CD - le ciin�ma de serge gainsbourg, initials b.b and a bunch of othe



  n-jeff: There is an instrumental version on a twelve inch I have that sounds remarkably prescient of Metal Box era PiL: heavy repetetive bass, odd guitar noises and something about the drums, too. Great track, vocal or no.
  olli: oh, that�s awesome, n-jeff! i always wondered if there was an instrumental version...one of the funkiest white tracks ever
les sucettes  performed by serge gainsbourg
Recommended by olli [profile]

pure bubblegum psychedelic soft pop, with lyrics about sucking on "lollipops". the most familiar version of this song is probably the one written for france gall, but i prefer the version where serge himself (in a great faux-na�ve manner)provides the vocals. the sugary strings of the original(?) are replaced by a great subdued wah wah guitar and organ backing on this version, and a lot of little touches wich help make the song a bit more bizarre and playful than the other version. nice for sunny picnics and bicycle rides in the countryside, eh?


available on CD - comic strip


The Lily  performed by Shelby Flint  196?
Recommended by konsu [profile]

This song is really nice.... Shelby's voice floats pillowy-soft above a lush, paced,jazz ensemble with vibraharp chiming chords alongside a heartbeat-like rhythym section.Her voice dipping down to touch it like a feather only to be lifted by the wind again... and again... A nice "Ode to a flower" almost in a hobbit rock mode, only without the schtik........

This is one of two that she wrote herself for (as far as I know) her only LP. The rest of the record is good, mind you. But the two songs she wrote are worth the price of the record. The other one is "Moonlight", which is an almost Stu Phillips-like bossa-nova...... Very pretty.

The Adrissi brothers look like they did some arranging, alongside Perry Botkin Jr., who did the two she wrote for the record. He's well known as an arranger and had done work with Harpers Bizarre, among others.

Good if you like A&M pop with folksy touches...

Claudine maybe?

from Cast Your fate to the wind (Valiant VLM-2/5003)
available on CD - S/T (Collectors Choice CCM 273-2 USA)


Say Hello, Wave Goodbye  performed by Soft Cell  1981
Recommended by Mike [profile]

A pop song of epic grandeur. Marc Almond's rather out of tune singing doesn't ultimately detract from what is a great song and a very good recorded performance. The synth player of the duo, Dave Ball, appears to have been a somewhat underrated pop genius.

from Non-stop erotic cabaret, available on CD




  delicado: Yes, isn't this a brilliant, devastating track. I think the out-of-tune vocals are all part of the package! This shares some of the desolate and empty electronic feel of some of Joy Division's work, but puts it into a pop context.
Too Much Tenderness  performed by Stark Reality  1969
Recommended by trivia [profile]

This song was ravaged by critics in reviews of the Stark Reality 2003 reissue (it was previously-unreleased and included as a bonus track), but I think it's frickin' great. It's apparently from a somewhat different incarnation of the group and is a Monty Stark composition - not one of the Hoagy Carmichael reinterpretations that made up the original version of the album. It has a naive, off-kilter, beautiful, and bizarre sound that I just love.

It's upbeat psych-jazz with extremely awkward cheery lead vocals. Stark's phrasing is kinda off (and his voice is WAY off) - it basically sounds like an easy listening number gone terribly wrong - but in a really good way.


available on CD - Now (Stones Throw)



  monty stark: ha! thanks, m
The Letter  performed by The Arbors  196?
Recommended by konsu [profile]

Man! Out of all the dollar-bin records i've bought in the last six months this one takes the prize. Amazing vocal pop ala' Harpers Bizarre or The Vogues, but more like the latter, due to the sheer genius production and selection of material.

This is a song by the great Box Tops that gets played all over your local "oldies" radio station, only made more superior with better production and beat. It has that misty sunshine appeal of HB, with cooed almost whispered verses, but then takes it higher with their own trademark choir-loft harmonies and effects. It supersedes the original by a longshot, bringing together sly shuffles and baroque arcs of genius.

The album has too many great versions to mention, but look for a review on their version of The Doors "Touch Me" coming soon, with a clip.

A must for fans of HB, Classics IV, Association, Cyrkle etc.

from The Arbors (Date TES 4017)



  delicado: yeah, this one has been on my list to recommend for a while. Superb stuff!
  artlongjr: I used to hear this song back in the early 70's, I didn't know who it was back then but it did get airplay. This group's first hit I really like and recommend, it's called "Symphony for Susan" and came out in 1966.
Creole Love Call  performed by The Comedian Harmonists  1933
Recommended by delicado [profile]

An amazing and atmospheric track by this famous German vocal group. There are no words, and the music is produced largely accapella - from what I can hear, there's just piano accompaniment, with some incredible vocal effects that range from beautiful to plain bizarre. The trills and glissando effects are other-worldly, but what really steals the limelight is the tradeoff between a bizarre kitten-like voice and a deep foghorn at 2:12 (featured in the clip)!

None of this will make sense until you hear it, so let me just add that the whole thing has a really pleasant, lazy mood that strongly reminds me of that amazing scene in 'Wild at Heart' when Laura Dern is sat on the car at the gas station and Glen Gray and the Casa Loma band's 'Smoke Rings' is playing.


available on CD - The Comedian Harmonists (Hannibal)




  Turangalila: This track is marvelous, thanks for the heads up.
Yoshimi battles the pink robots  performed by The Flamming Lips
Recommended by inbloom44 [profile]

Bizarre lyrics, but it's so sweet, so enduring and just plain catchy that you have to love it.




Sympathy For the Devil  performed by The Rolling Stones  1968
Recommended by xfanatic50 [profile]

With the wild African rhythms, yelped back-up vocals and honky-tonk piano, this song is bizarre and crazed and lot of fun. Lyrically it's also very cool with Mick Jagger singing from the persona of a very gentlemanly and straightforward Satan. It's also incredibly timeless and influential. Listen to Outkast's recent album, or the Libertines, or the Music and you can hear shades of this song without a doubt.

from Beggar's Banquet (Abko)


Never Can Say Goodbye  performed by The Sandpipers  1967
Recommended by Pal [profile]

Very nice, reminds me a bit of Harpers Bizarre best moments!


available on CD - Get Easy! (Motor)


Starsailor  performed by Tim Buckley  1970
Recommended by schlick [profile]

A truly out-of-this-world multitracked vocal tour-de-force.

from Starsailor, available on CD


Waltzing Matilda  performed by Tom Waits
Recommended by eve [profile]

Tom Waits is so cool. All of his songs do a really good job of making you feel like you remember a time and place you've never seen... his world is one of boxcars, whiskey, and five o'clock shadow. This song is much less bizarre than some of his others; it's more mournful. But it's just... nice to hear. He is a sad old man.





  Jackamaku: Great tune, although the name of this song is actually "Tom Traubert's Blues (Four Sheets to the Wind in Copenhagen)"
I Don’t Wanna Grow Up  performed by Tom Waits
Recommended by eve [profile]

This song is a little lighter and more fanciful than a lot of Tom Waits songs, which makes it good because it's delightful, as opposed to his usual "good because it's painful/ dramatic/ really bizarre."




Ring Worm  performed by Van Morrison  1968
Recommended by agnamaracs [profile]

Okay, I'm going to summarize the story as best as I can.

Van Morrison's first recording contract as a solo artist was with a small label called Bang, owned by a man named Bert Berns. Among Bang's hits were "I Want Candy" by the Strangeloves, "Hang On Sloopy" by the McCoys, "Cherry Cherry" by Neil Diamond, and of course "Brown Eyed Girl" by Van Morrison.

Bang released Morrison's first album, "Blowin' Your Mind," in 1967. The thing is, Morrison had nothing to do with it. He wanted out of his contract. Berns died in December of that year, but Bang (now run by Berns's wife Ilene) still wanted ten songs from Van. He gave 'em 31.

The Bang Contractuals, as these sessions have come to be known, can be split into three categories: throwaways ("Twist and Shake," "Stomp and Scream"), cynical commentary ("The Big Royalty Check," "Blow in Your Nose" [a play on "Blowin' Your Mind]), and the just plain bizarre.

"Ring Worm" is a member of the third group. First of all, Morrison doesn't sing the lyrics, he speaks them. Second, the lyrics are:

I can see by the look on your face... that you've got ring worm.
I'm very sorry, but... I have to tell you that... you've got... ring worm...
It's a very common disease...
Actually, you're very lucky to have... ring worm, because you may have... had something else.


Finally, after the lyrics comes the most bizarre "singing" I've ever heard. I can't even describe it. You'll have to hear it for yourself. I will say this: if you're familiar with Van's more commercial works, you will be dumbfounded.

Of course, we all know the rest of the story: later in 1968, Morrison signed to Warner Bros., recorded "Astral Weeks," and became a legend. I have friends, however, that believe the Bang Contractuals to be his best album.

The material shouldn't be too hard to find: since its first release (apparently, by a small Portuguese label in 1992), the Bang Contractuals have been released over and over, always as a two-disc set with the more "legitimate" Bang material ("Brown Eyed Girl," etc.) Look for titles such as "The Complete Bang Sessions," "Payin' Dues," and (ugh) "Brown Eyed Beginnings."

from The Lost Tapes (Movie Play Gold)
available on CD - ah, thousands of 'em (take yer pick)




  eftimihn: I already knew this weird story, but being a fan of Van for 15 years or so it wasn't until these 2 tracks (together with "You Say France And I Whistle") were featured on Otis Fodder's 365 Days Project that i eventually heard them. Hilarious stuff. It's pretty much a precedence that shows what happens when record companies force artists to be creative and deliver what they want...

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